Diastereoisomerically pure N-Boc 2-acyloxazolidines were synthesized from phenylglyoxal and ethyl glyoxylate. Reaction of these heterocycles with Grignard reagents is highly stereoselective. Homochiral 1,2-diols were ultimately obtained after N-deprotection, hydrolysis and reduction of the intermediate alpha-hydroxy aldehyde. The asymmetric induction can be explained by a chelated model.